Nate/ Doug Update BoM by picking component or copy catalog assignment

[stanatgavan]

Gentlemen,

What I would like to accomplish is the following:

Let's say you run a BOM and one of the items has changed lets ,say a relay.
Instead of having to run the bom report again I would like to be able to select the tag field on the bom and update from component. select the relay either from a project list or component pick (provided that the BOM is on same page as the device).

Is there already a tool in place that I am unfamiliar with?
Or is this even possible?

Thanks,

Stan at Gavan

[dougmcalexander]

Stan, I'll take a stab at answering this one. The newest versions of AcadE allow you to generate the report, place it on a drawing, and later update the report in place. I used this with a huge project I did this year that contained multiple BOMs and utililized a project-in-project approach. If I am looking at the BOM and see an error, or something I need to change for any reason, I surf from that particular record on the BOM to the schematic or footprint symbol. I make the change using Lookup and allow AcadE to perform the project-wide updates. I then go to the Reports menu and run the BOM report again. This time I select Put On Drawing and select Update Existing. This whole process happens faster than the time it took me to type this.

That is the extent of AcadE's built-in functionality. If you want the opportunity to edit the BOM and have the BOM update the schematic and panel layout symbols, that will require customization, which Nate is most capable of providing.

[stanatgavan]

I also have done a update existing run of the BOM which works .I have a question regarding that , when you update the existing bill and you do not edit it to match the order in which the items are placed on the pre-existing bill does it rearrange your original order? I always thought it would so I would re arrange the order each time.

From what you are saying it sounds as if I have a misconception about that utility.

In any event the feature I previously posted would be a great tool to see in the next release of ACADE.
Unless of course there could be a lisp utility that would do the job.

Thanks for your time and input
Regards,
Stan

[dougmcalexander]

I think I see where the misunderstanding is. You may be working too hard. Use the Report Format Setup function to make your report look the way to want. Select the type of report you wish to create. Click the Change Report Fields button to select the fields to report, their justification, alternate names, etc. Click the Put On Drawing button and setup the insertion point, how many sections per drawing, the section distance, etc. Then save this format as some name that makes sense to you. I have one named BOMPNL_JIC_D.set for a panel BOM that fits a D sheet. You can use this report format .set file when generating Automatic Reports or you can select it by clicking the Format button at the bottom of the Panel Reports dialog. Insert a BOM using this format file. Later when you mak changes, use this same report format file again and when you click Put On Drawing the Update Existing radio button will be available as an option. If the Update Existing button is fuzzed out this can indicate that the new report was created using a different report format .set file than the one used to insert the existing report table.

I really like the Automatic Reports function myself. I have multiple format.set files to match my various border sizes and fields to report requirements. I go the extra step and create an Automatic Report setup file that automatically calls my BOM report, inserts in on drawings, calls my wire from/to report, places it on a drawing, and exports a wire labels report as an Excel spreadsheet. This all takes place in about 1 minute after I complete my schematic and panel layout. This is one of the training exercizes in the AutoCAD Electrical course I teach. I showed it to a certain customer last year and theyall looked at me with eyes wide open. They said that when they finish their schematic and panel layout they are only 40% finished, because of the report preparation they go through. When they saw what I did with the Automatic Reports tool, they were amazed. Talk about return on your investment. I love teaching this program. There is so much that goes untouched by those who just scratch the surface and don't explore all the possibilities.

So play around with setting up report formats and calling them from the Automatic Reports function. It is truly an amazing, yet often overlooked power tool in AcadE. Maybe when I get a chance, I will shoot a video of Automatic Reports in action and put it on the Tips/Tricks page at www.ecadconsultant.com.